One of the bravest decisions of the São Paulo government was to ban all advertising from outdoor spaces. While you might expect this to result in an empty city, it is actually full of murals and other forms of artistic expression. It looks like the people have taken over and painted every single empty wall, which are extremely numerous since most apartment blocks are surrounded by either a fences or a wall. There are many different styles and it is not always clear if the art work was commissioned or done as free expression, as a hidden advertisement, to get a message across, or simply to leave a signature. There are all kind of different groups active. The professionals, paid by the owners of the buidings or the citycouncil. The artists who want to decorate what and where they decide to leave their traces. The activists who add tags and messages are considered as the lowest in rank.

Sao Paulo -
Neighborhood with high concentration of artists and poets. In Vila Madalena, you can find nature and art in the poetry of street names such as Harmony, Glitter and Sunflower and… Ines Correa –
Sao Paulo Lab

Sao Paulo -
There are a lot of different styles of murals, grafitti and here pixas. The pixadores use a unique style of lettering. Their messages have political connotations. Not for me to… Lino Hellings –
Sao Paulo Lab

Sao Paulo -
Underground passage between the two sides of Rua da Consolação. A bookstore and public telephones share the space with urban artists that use it as canvas. (“Don’t put the… Flavio Sampaio –
Sao Paulo Lab

Sao Paulo -
Knowing Sao Paulo forbid all advertisement in public space you would expect an ‘empty city’. On the contrary not one piece of wall unpainted. Murals all over. The people do… Lino Hellings –
Sao Paulo Lab

Sao Paulo -
As the wheather is mostly soft with temperatures around 25 celsius, most shops have no shop windows or doors. When they are open at day time, they open up completely… Lino Hellings –
Sao Paulo Lab

Sao Paulo -
Mobile home of a homeless person, all decorated and colourful. In the evening the inhabitant unpacks his house, to gather his gear in the morning to move on. Behind it… Ines Correa –
Sao Paulo Lab